Dirty Birds

[Midnightfarm]

First time raising meat birds. We have 25 freedom rangers. We currently have them in a chicken tractor and we move them twice a day but everytime we move them they have completely covered the ground they were on with manure. Which causes the bottom side of them on their breasts to be matted with manure from them laying in it. What should we do about this? Should we try to clean that area on them? If we did need to clean them we would have to do it everyday to keep up with how much the poop.

 

[sourland]

Is there any way you can provide them with more space? A second tractor?

 

[Midnightfarm]

Yes it's a possibility. I would have to build one. The only problem is the only have three weeks left until processing. I'm not sure if I could get it done in time. The size of the current tractor should be sufficient to house up to 40 birds. Our egg laying hens are in a similar tractor and do not have the same problem. These meat birds seem to poop triple what our egg laying birds do.

 

[3KillerBs]

You have too many chickens in the tractor for the amount of square footage available.

 

[3KillerBs]

Yes it's a possibility. I would have to build one. The only problem is the only have three weeks left until processing. I'm not sure if I could get it done in time. The size of the current tractor should be sufficient to house up to 40 birds. Our egg laying hens are in a similar tractor and do not have the same problem. These meat birds seem to poop triple what our egg laying birds do.

They poop so much more because they're so much larger.

 

[NatJ]

We currently have them in a chicken tractor and we move them twice a day but everytime we move them they have completely covered the ground they were on with manure. Which causes the bottom side of them on their breasts to be matted with manure from them laying in it. What should we do about this?

You could provide a larger pen.

You could move the tractor more times per day.

You could dump in a bunch of bedding each day, so the manure will not all be on the surface of the ground (but if you want them eating green plants in the chicken tractor, that may not be a good choice.)

You could butcher some now, smaller than you planned, which will reduce how much manure is produced each day.

only have three weeks left until processing. I'm not sure if I could get it done in time. The size of the current tractor should be sufficient to house up to 40 birds. Our egg laying hens are in a similar tractor and do not have the same problem. These meat birds seem to poop triple what our egg laying birds do.

The amount of poop increases every day, just like the feed consumption does.
If you have a problem now, you will have a bigger problem by processing day.

I'm not sure if there is any good solution now, but definitely remember this the next time you plan to raise meat chickens: the easiest time to "fix" it is when choosing how many chicks to buy for the pen you have.

 

[iwltfum]

How big is the pen? Ground shouldn't be matted with manure if the pen is big enough - especially if you're moving them twice daily. Three weeks to butcher day at the end of the season, I might just try and finish it out and build more pen space next season. I try and give my freedom rangers at least 1.75sqft per bird. Looks like a giant space when you first put them into the pen but they fill it up quickly.

 

[Isadora]

Some manure on the breastfeathers is inevitable, but I wouldn't think they should be completely matted and covered in it. Even if your space is technically big enough, it may be worth it to build another larger tractor.

 

[U_Stormcrow]

40 birds in a pen of Rangers, not CX, and they are laying in it???

How big is the tractor??? Most tractors I've seen are designed around CX, a bird much less inclined towards mobility than a ranger. Where are you located? and what's your daytime temps? Are the birds laying down thru the heat of the day and covering their breasts in droppings that way?

 

[Midnightfarm]

You have too many chickens in the tractor for the amount of square footage available.

The chicken tractor has 55 soft. 10x5.5. So 2.2sqft per bird. I'm feeding them naturewise meatbird food 22% protein. Thought maybe it was the food